“Ski base is a coating for the running surface of skis and snowboards. Different materials are used for this. Nowadays sintered ultra high molecular weight polyethylenes or normal extruded polyethylenes are used. Ski bases should be elastic. At the same time, they offer the greatest possible mechanical wear resistance and excellent sliding properties. Extruded bases are uncomplicated bases because they glide well over the snow with little or no wax. They absorb little wax, the structure of the base is very dense. Some sintered bases, on the other hand, are very fast bases that have a higher wax absorption and can therefore release more wax when gliding. Sliding friction is reduced and high speeds can be achieved. Sintered bases are used for top skis, in which the finest silicate particles are incorporated. The fineness of these particles and the homogeneous distribution in the base result in improved wear and sliding behavior. Graying (oxidation) is also prevented by the growth of the coating. If minimal sliding resistance is desired, the ski base must be waxed regularly.” (Taken from Wikipedia). Sintered ski bases absorb hot wax when ironed in and thus ensure a quick base. Depending on the nature of the snow (new snow, old snow, wet snow, etc.) and fluctuating outside temperatures, waxing can be optimal - or not. With the wrong choice of wax, the base is dull and brakes when driving. Skis and boards with extruded bases absorb very little wax due to their molecular density. The rubber is harder and more robust, but not very fast. Thus, a comparison on snow with different materials, base structures and wax properties is very difficult. The higher the speed, the higher the friction between the base and the snow. That's why we don't actually ride skis or boards on snow but on melted water - which freezes again behind the ends of the skis/boards. With these different properties of skis and boards on the market, we now turn to our SlopeTrax sliding mats. Our sliding mats always have the same consistency, whether it's hot or cold. Here, too, it is crucial to reduce the friction between the base and the ski/board. When all the optimal components come together, i.e. there is sufficient moisture or lubricant on the mats and the surface of the ski/board has been optimally prepared, then almost the same gliding properties are achieved as on snow. Depending on the angle of inclination and the lubricant used for our sliding mats and the skis/boards, you can achieve around 90-97% of the gliding properties of skiing on snow. Another reason why the right choice of skis and snowboards is important for ski rental in a matt ski area. In addition, a professional surface service is important for a long service life of the mat ski slope.

We get asked this question very often. It is not so easy to answer if you have not yet determined exactly what the objective is. You should be clear about what needs to be done beforehand. Questions like: "I want to build a slopestyle park or a matt ski area - how much does it cost?" keep coming up. The following questions should be clarified in advance: Should a small slopestyle park or an alpine ski area be built, or should an existing winter ski area be expanded for skiing in summer, or should a matted ski slope with a children's ski school be built in an air-conditioned shopping mall? Other variants are of course possible. The basis should be an early analysis of the primary need, the original use, the place of use and the operational and financial possibilities. Will the site be bought or will it be rented? Is the investor also the operator of the system? Who runs the day-to-day business? Basically, the planning for a mat ski area should be carried out in a similar way to the construction of a winter ski area in the mountains - only without snow. This includes the planning of sanitary facilities, restaurant, ski rental, parking spaces, merchandising shop, tow lifts and/or conveyor belt, etc.

In order to be able to operate a ski area, a service station with a rental area with the following equipment is required: Alpine skis with rental bindings, snowboards, ski boots, ski poles, ski helmets, ski goggles, sunglasses, ski clothing with jacket, pants, gloves. In addition, depending on the size of the ski area: restaurant, toilets, extensive parking spaces, ticket office with administration, ski school with qualified ski instructors, souvenir shop, ski lift to bring the ski students back to the start, carousel with 4 arms for 2-3 skiers each to learn to glide .

A small slopestyle park with 500 m2 only needs a slope with eg 30-50m length and 10m width. Here the terrain should be straight, stone-free and have a gradient of approx. 8-25%. The terrain should be steeper at the start and flatter towards the bottom. Several obstacles (rails, banks, rainbow etc.) will be installed there. There is also a normal tow lift with rope and/or a comfortable conveyor belt. There is also a container-sized building for ski & board rental and service. Other options are the addition of a Big Air jump and extra waves and side walls to be able to descend on a course. For this, parking spaces and toilets must be available, possibly a kiosk or restaurant. This is an example of a small slopestyle park that can be realized for around 100,000 euros.

Especially in the countries of Western Asia, Asia and the Arab States, alpine skiing is considered something exotic that everyone would like to do. A small alpine ski slope with 30x30m is already suitable as an entry point. Here lessons for adult beginners and children's ski courses can be held. A carousel with 4 arms moves the beginners in circles with the skis and provides the first feeling of gliding. Then it goes to the small slope for the first slides and small arches. Lots of fun for young and old, even for the whole family. This small alpine ski area is set up quickly and the material costs are manageable and range between 50,000 and 100,000 euros, depending on local requirements. Depending on the size, there are different costs for acquisition and operation. The customer should therefore be clear beforehand which system he wants to set up. We can then develop an optimal concept and create a detailed offer.

A large ski area of 10,000 - 30,000 m/2 may require a slope of 100-300m long and 10-30m wide. A slope of 8-35% can be expected here. Ski clubs can then train excellently in slalom and giant slalom here. Ski schools can conduct ski courses for advanced and experts. In the lower area, the ski schools can organize children's ski courses in the figure park or on the beginner's carousel. At least 200-300 people per day are expected here. Another option here is an air bag jump system. Here, too, the following service facilities should be offered according to the size and regional requirements of the municipal community: parking spaces, restaurant, toilets, lift, conveyor belt or even chairlift, ski rental building for several hundred pairs of skis, snowboards, ski boots, ski poles, helmets, ski waxing machines, Shoe dryer and rental room for clothing (jackets, pants), socks, gloves, helmets, ski goggles, etc. All items should be stored in a closed room where the items or clothing can also be dried. In addition, there is the service staff and appropriately trained ski and snowboard instructors. The investment here is already in the several million euro range.

A ski resort on the roof (roof top resort) of power plants or shopping malls or indoors in shopping malls. An existing ski area is also ideal. Here, too, around 10,000 m/2 X are required. Here the length and width can be adjusted according to the existing terrain. In addition, there are the primary buildings such as service stations, ski rental, lifts, etc., because the secondary buildings such as restaurants, toilets, parking lots, etc. are usually already in place.

The state approvals as to whether and how a ski area may be built differ significantly around the world. For this reason, we advise our customers, as one of the first steps, to contact the local building authority directly. Because here a new building or possibly an extension of an existing system is to be carried out, which may require a building permit. We would be happy to help you with this approval process. In EU Europe, great importance is attached to environmental compatibility. There are regulations that state that existing lawns cannot be built or used without planning permission, as the lawn can be destroyed. In many places it is therefore not permitted to roll out a continuous plastic carpet (from competitors) for skiing, for example, which simply covers thousands of m/2 and thus destroys the vegetation. This problem does not exist when using our sliding mats. During installation, a fleece is first laid out where the lawn can grow through. Then the sliding mats are mounted on the fleece. This means that the lawn can grow through and is shaved off by skiers or boaders and thus mulched. This is green skiing.

Our mats are environmentally friendly and can be designed to be environmentally friendly. This applies to applications with our mats. We can put a special fleece on the floor to keep dirt and stones out. Our SlopeTrax mats are then laid out on top of this and attached to the floor. The lawn is allowed to grow through and fixes the mats well to the ground. The skiers cut the grass with the edges of their skis every day, thus mulching the lawn. Incidentally, you can also work with a lawn mower. This creates an optimal symbiosis. Nature is left intact and skiers and boarders can still do their sport. If the intended site is already a building site, the area can be completely covered with our DSDF fleece. Our SlopeTrax are then attached to it and skiing can begin.

The mats measure 22x22cm and are plugged together with a PIOS plug-in system. We have 3mm leeway between the mats for the expansion of the mats. Plastic expands in hot temperatures and contracts in cold temperatures. With our plastic mats, we can put larger areas together without the large mat areas becoming wavy. Other mat constructions on the market that don't have this 3mm clearance will ripple at high temperatures, which can cause skiers and boarders to fall.

In principle, our mats also work without water. For outdoor use in warm to hot areas, however, it is advisable to install a water sprinkler system underneath the mats. This systematic sprinkling of water has the advantage that the friction between the ski and the mat is significantly reduced. The water significantly reduces abrasion and thus contributes significantly to a very long service life for skis and mats. The water effect can also be achieved by using our environmentally friendly lubricant "Slide Liquid". This lubricant has proven itself worldwide for many years. Once applied to the mats, the lubricating liquid acts like wax on the ski bases, helping to significantly reduce friction. If a fleece is laid out at the start of the piste, where the skier or board walks over it at every start, the lubricant is automatically distributed on the piste as well. The ecological lubricant is biodegradable and therefore environmentally friendly. Also particularly suitable for indoor use where the use of water is not possible.

The higher the friction, the higher the abrasion of the nubs. The quicker the abrasion of the knobs, the sooner new mats have to be bought. If there is a large area of several 1000 m2, like on the ski slope with snow, each skier will draw a different line down. Thus, the probability of rapid, constant abrasion of the entire mat surface is very low. Corresponding abrasion will only become apparent over years of use by many thousands of skiers. But only where the skiers also ski, because at the edge of the piste the abrasion will be almost zero for this reason. It is therefore desirable if every skier or snowboarder waxes their equipment optimally before using it off-road. This would be desirable for the care of the ski base and for the long durability of the mats. Unfortunately, the majority of athletes do not maintain their equipment. Ironing or rubbing on a simple alpine ski wax would be sufficient for this. We recommend a cold temperature wax for use on our Slopetrax mat ski resorts. This is harder and more resistant to friction than warm temperature wax. Incidentally, since this season, fluor waxes have been banned in alpine racing for environmental reasons. Skitrax also offers the appropriate wax material for this. Since large mat ski areas also offer ski rental, a ski service for the rented skis and boards is a matter of course. A service for your own skis and boards should also be offered.

Yes. If the mat ski surface is installed properly, it can be operated for many years. The further expansion of the various service facilities is done in writing. The most important thing is the early installation of the ascent aid (lift or conveyor belt) back to the start. The mats can also be ordered later if further expansion is to be carried out. The additional installation happens like that with the same steps as the initial installation.

Depending on the extent of use and weather conditions, an inspection should be carried out every few years. This mainly relates to the realignment of the subsoil. Due to heavy wear and tear of the mats, eg the individual mats on the slalom poles standing in the same place, these can be easily replaced. However, new types of terrain can also be built later (mogul slope, take-off table, etc.).

"Ski base" is a coating for the running surface of skis and snowboards. Different materials are used for this purpose. Nowadays, sintered ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene or normal extruded polyethylene are used. Ski bases should be elastic. At the same time, however, they should offer maximum mechanical wear resistance and excellent gliding properties. Extruded bases are uncomplicated bases, as they glide well over the snow even with little or no wax. They absorb little wax because the structure of the base is very dense. Some sintered bases, on the other hand, are very fast bases that have a higher wax absorption rate, allowing them to release more wax as they glide. The sliding friction is reduced and high speeds can be achieved. For top skis, sintered bases are used in which the finest silicate particles are incorporated. The fineness of these particles and the homogeneous distribution in the base result in improved wear and sliding behavior. Waxing the lining also prevents graying (oxidation). If minimal sliding resistance is desired, the ski base must be regularly re-waxed." (Taken from Wikipedia). Sintered ski bases absorb hot wax when ironed in, ensuring a fast base. Depending on the snow conditions (new snow. old snow, wet snow, etc.) and fluctuating outside temperatures, waxing can thus be optimal - or not. With the wrong choice of wax, the base is dull and brakes while skiing. Skis and boards with extruded bases absorb very little wax due to their molecular density. The base is harder and more robust, but not very fast.  Thus, a comparison on snow with different materials, base structures and wax properties, is very difficult. The higher the speed, the higher the friction between the base and the snow. That's why we don't actually ski or board on snow but on melted water - which refreezes behind the ski/board ends.   With these different properties of skis and boards on the market, we now go to our SlopeTrax sliding mats. Our glide mats always have the same consistency in warm or cold conditions. Again, the key is to reduce friction between the base and the ski/board. If all the optimum components then come together, i.e. there is sufficient moisture or lubricant on the mats and the base of the ski/board has been optimally prepared, then almost the same gliding properties as on snow are achieved - with the lowest micro-abrasion. Depending on the angle of inclination and the lubricant used, one achieves approx. 90-97% of the gliding properties as skiing on snow. Also a reason why the right choice of skis and snowboards is important for the ski rental of a mat ski resort. In addition, a professional ski base service is important for a long life of the mat ski slope.